Memorial Day Weekend is probably my favorite holiday. Three- day weekends jam-packed with homemade hot dogs, domestic light beer and family-filled party barges--what's there not to love?!? But there is something about Memorial Day that I love more than the smell of smoldering charcoal briquettes--it's the weekend that signifies the biggest decision I've ever made. (Entering the sanctity of marriage? Child's play.) Four years ago this weekend, I bought the most charming yarn shop I'd ever been to. And 10 years ago, Memorial Day weekend 2000, that shop opened its doors in Cedar for the first time. On Friday, May 28th 2010, we celebrated another new beginning--by changing the name of the business.

This is the excerpt from the shop's email newsletter explaining the change--if you've already read this, scroll down to the bottom of the post to get to the pictures. (Want to receive the email newsletter? Email me at inishknits AT charter DOT net to sign up. New email address coming soon.)
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A name is something we choose carefully--for our children, our pets, our cottage Up North--to imbue them with thought, love and meaning, and to make them uniquely ours. The name 'Inish Knits' has served this shop well for 10 years in Cedar (and at least four years before that on Peggy's farmstead), but we're ready for a change. 'Inish Knits' was a perfect fit for the original owner of the shop--she is of English and Irish descent, and during her time here, she focused much of the shop's inventory on designs, patterns and rare wool imports from the UK. As Inish Knits originated with a personal connection to Gaelic heritage, the path to choosing the name Wool & Honey has a story, too.
My name, Melissa, means 'honeybee' in Greek. I've always loved my name and have personally identified with all things related to bees and honey. After using this moniker on the blog for the past three years, I thought to myself, You know, that actually kind of works.
To me, Wool & Honey symbolizes the Good Life. "The land of milk and honey" is a representation of the most divine place on earth, Paradise Found, the land of abundance, your Happy Place. In my mind, heaven on earth is a yarn shop--filled with beautiful things that add a bit of shine to my daily life.
Bees are amazing creatures. Every day, these little workers gather pollen--powdery bits of fluff--and with a little time and effort, transform it into a gorgeous, golden nectar. How similar we knitters are to the bee! Taking nothing more than two sticks and a string, we create warmth and comfort--fabric to clothe and decorate our bodies.
The hive is the epicentre of it all--it's home. The bee may travel to distant fields and orchards, but there's something hardwired inside her brain that always brings her back. Whether Leelanau County is your home or the home of your heart, there is a fiber community waiting here for you.
But why delights? Leelanau means 'delight of life' or 'land of delight' in Ojibwa....it's our nod to the people who discovered this particular heaven on earth.
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In conjunction with the name change, I figured things had better look a little different around here. I moved the furniture around. Again.
Added a new collection of fabulous, pretty things:
A set of two sheep soaps--just the right gift for a knitting hostess!
8" shawl pins--in understated squiggles, earthy leaves and modern spirals.
The Knit Kit. The knitter's equivalent of the Swiss Army Knife. Scissors, point protectors, tape measure, row counter (with locking option), thread cutter, crochet hook, stitch markers all in one convenient, self-contained $20.00 package. Genius.
Because who doesn't need a mini sock to hang on their set of keys?
And quite possibly my newest favorite "delight"--bath bees! Little royal jelly bath beads in the shape of honeybees. Perfect.
And more yarn, of course.
We had a party to celebrate on Friday night and I was blown away by the response. I feel so loved by so many friends! These beautiful flowers were given to me by Michele, Linda, Cindy and Marcia, Chris and Allie, Pam and Mark and Elizabeth, and the sparkling wine was a gift from Liz and Chad. Not pictured are the bottles of local wine procured by Bobbie, Norvilla, Yarrow and Chris. (We drank those.) My parents were there and my mother-in-law, too. We sipped mead and ate brie with honeycomb, strawberries and cream cheese, confetti cake and apples drizzled with honey--a Jewish tradition celebrated at Rosh Hashanah to symbolize a sweet start to a new year.
I can't wait to see how the next ten years unfold. Thank you, friends, for being the sweetest part of it all.